The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is continuing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop with its year-long exhibit, This is Hip Hop, which opened on Jan. 19.
The NMAAM features gallery exhibit displays iconic pieces of the origin and cultural impact of hip hop through the lenses of four legendary artists. This is Hip Hop also showcases the work of four notable documentarians, representing the country’s four major regions (Midwest, West, East and South). Enthusiasts of the genre can experience some of the most memorable moments and performances in hip hop history through each photographer’s unique experience.
Photo: Elle Danielle/MOJO Marketing & PR
Visitors can gaze upon the photography of Chicago native, Raymond Boyd (Midwest), who rose to prominence in the early 1980s for his black-and-white pictures of notable hip pop performers visiting the Midwest, and whose in-depth interpretations were created especially for the This Is Hip Hop display; Traci Bartlow (West Coast), whose ’90s Bay Area hip hop photos were featured in Oakland Museums; Andre Leroy Davis (East Coast), an artist renowned for his must-see illustrations that satirize and comment on current events and culture; and the South’s very own, Shannon McCullum, a self-taught photographer from Atlanta with more than 25 years of experience in the music industry.
NMAAM kicked off the celebration with a conversation featuring Boyd at This is Hip Hop’s opening reception, which was led by Nashville’s radio personality and host of the Kenny Smoov Morning Show, Kenny Smoov of 92Q.
